Ordeal
by Yemi Hikari
Summary: Eight one-shots written for a prompt. Settings tend to be real world, but I utilized this to get an idea of who Sebastian's father was, yet I don't know how well that went over.
1. 1 - Bonding

_Disclaimer - I don't own Stardew Valley. This was written back in October 2018 for Action Wattpad's Ozaki Challenge. I ended up being the overall winner, but that may be because I was the only one who kept up with the prompts._

**Challenge 1: Bonding**

The fresh air of the Conga soaked into his lungs while the smell of the river filled his nostrils. Daiki watched his teenaged son carefully, his eyes double checking Sebastian's equipment. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah. This seems fun." Sebastian's head tilted. "Though honestly I prefer exploring caves."

"Once we get into the water, you'll cool down." Daiki ran over the rules for kayaking again, the safety of his son being number one priority.

Of course, getting into the water was exhilarating as the kayak dove into the water, bobbing up and down. Daiki's muscles strained, yet son kept up like the rest of the party. His cheeks which were once flushed from the heat of the Congo lighted as water sprayed up, yet a rare smile spread across Sebastian's face at the exhilarating experience. Daiki felt the adrenaline rush through his head, and the scenery flash by quickly.

Soaked to the bone, Sebastian kept up with his father now that he was older. Finishing for the day, he asked. "So, you gong to tell your mother you had fun?"

Sebastian gave him a funny look. "I didn't tell her where we were going for vacation."

"She's going to kill me."


	2. 2 - Shi

**Challenge 2: Shi  
**

He lived for the adrenaline rush.

The adrenaline rush allowed him the ability to forget about the Shimizu family politics, his failed first marriage with Robin, not seeing their son Sebastian often enough. Daiki forgot the snide remarks from the CEOs of the company run by the Shimizu family regarding his extreme adventuring.

He glanced down the rocky slopes of Mount Everest, taking in the wind and planned trajectory towards the base camp where he would meet for a meeting with certain business interests. Readjusting his goggles, Daiki launched himself from the mountain side, expecting his base jump to go like all his other jumps. Normally he felt a slight dizziness from the change of elevation, and the wind rushing in his face as he glided down.

Instead, he heard something ripping right when he pulled the cord before his body began tumbling towards the ground. Life rushed by him, freezing almost. Mentally he saw the parachute not filling out properly, yet this flashed through his mind quickly as well. In the back of his head he heard Robin's voice. "_Why? Why do what your family wants?_ _Why do you say you have no choice?_"

Choice was something the Simizu family took away, not allowing people to choose their own destiny. Yet the adrenaline he felt always brought choice back to him, yet this one – this one didn't leave him any choice but one. His mind flickered towards another person, one of the business interests. "_I don't understand why we need to meet up here._"

"_I'd already planned this trip in advance, and it's not something I can simply drop at a moment notice and pick up another time. Doesn't this show you that I know the ins and outs of planning ahead?_"

"_No Shimizu-sama. To me this shows you have a reckless spirit, one I wish the family elders would curtail. After all, you are..._"

The rest of the conversation blurred, yet knowledge that someone might sabotage his equipment at the base camp flew threw his head. The fact he was someone others would want to get rid of – that wasn't unknown knowledge, and yet he remained super careful of everything he did. Yet, the manner in which the equipment failed, meant only one thing – sabotage. It also meant only one choice, a choice stolen from him from someone with greedy intentions – death.

He thought he'd _feel_ the death, and yet he felt nothing but coldness and blackness. Surprisingly enough, his eyes flickered open. He found himself in a dark room in a basement. The glow from a couple of computers lit up the room slightly revealing a bed, comics and a couch, More importantly, it revealed a specific individual sitting at one of the computers working away at some kind of project.

"Sebastian?"

The young man turned, his dark eyes blinking slightly at seeing Daiki. "Oyaji?

Daichi took a deep breath, seeing the anguish on Sebastian's face from seeing him as a disembodied spirit. "I'm sorry."


	3. 3 - Frozen Fantasy

**Challenge 3: Frozen Fantasy**

"You said you saw something amazing, but what was it?"

"I'm not quite sure Sebastian." Daiki turned his head slightly, watching the apparent curiosity in his son's dark eyes. Closing his own, he recollected stepping towards the edge of the plane, waiting for the signal indicating he could drop down into the Cave of Swallows.

A deep breath left his lungs as the all-clear came through. He pushed himself out, feeling the air lash out at his lithe body, whipping in his ears. The black mouth of the green monster below came closer and closer, yet he welcomed the blackness with great zeal. For a short period of time he became surrounded by darkness with the same sensation until he pulled the ripcord. He felt the yanking sensation as the parachute slowed his decent, his feet repositioning slightly.

Then came the rumbling sound from below.

"You're not sure?"

"Well..." Daiki found himself grinning. "I'm not sure if you'd believe me if I told you."

The rumbling sound echoed up the walls of the Cave of Swallows, cascading around him as he continued descending into the darkness pierced by the single light. He expected, probably like his companions, that the swifts were stirring from their slumber, and yet they weren't descending in the early morning hours. Daiki frowned, blinking once when a firefly-like light appeared, floating up towards them.

An even brighter glow appeared, soaring up towards the sky above. The sound of falling – falling without his shoot occurred again, and yet Daiki knew he and his companions weren't free-falling anymore. With the noise came a bright, silver flash of light soaring up into the sky, a blur which Daiki couldn't quite make out.

He finally landed at the bottom of the shaft and began removing his parachute. His eyes drew towards a crack in the ground, one which Daiki didn't' think existed before, or at least never existed in the pictures he'd seen of the place. He stepped forward, noticing the glowing light emitting from the crack, yet also the cold air blasting them from inside the earth.

"Seems kind of ordinary, doesn't it?"

"Oh? You don't find that exciting Sebastian?"

"Hmm... I don't think so."

"Well, that wasn't all I'd seen."

He stepped into the place, taking in the way the cave lit up. His eyes quickly noticed the light source. He saw egg-like shapes with a silvery hue which reminded him of ice. The rocks were nestled in what looked like a nest of rocks of the same hue, yet these stones didn't glow like the rocks shaped like eggs. Creeping closer, the icy undertone color of the silver aura made his mouth open in amazement as his companions joined him.

Daiki reached out, touching what looked like a next first, and picked up a Frozen Tear which in turn helped create the sweat coldness which emanated from the place, and yet the eggs also gave off a chill. Blinking, he mentally wondered why he thought these were real eggs, before placing the Frozen Tear into his jacket. He reached out, feeling the surface, unsure of what the stones were – egg or not.

"Eggs? What laid them?"

"Well..." Daiki let out a laugh. "I'm still assuming their eggs, as we didn't really get a chance to find out."

After all, the silver thing came back, along with the rumbling sound. Daiki found himself diving aside as the creature screamed. He found himself pressed against the wall, unsure of what happened to his companions as the creature pushed past. The scales ripped through the cloth meant to protect him, causing a stinging sensation, and yet he was sure he saw feathers on the serpentine creature. He and his companions backed away, out of the cave.

A dragon stood in front of him, or at least what was best described as a dragon. Its tail whipped out, knocking one of the men off their feet, and for a minute Daiki thought the creature would lunge at the person, ripping out their throat, and yet the creature allowed them to back out of the cave. He stepped through, pulling up his arm in an attempt to shield himself as he felt the icy breath cascade around him, sealing the cave away from them.

"Is the dragon going to be safe?"

"Well, I doubt any of those with me would actually let people know about that creature, yet if someone did, I doubt anyone would believe them."

"Well, that's a good thing. Maybe we might be able to go there sometime?"

"Go there?" Daiki's eyebrows shot up. "You believe me?"

"Well, I do tend to find some strange things in the caves."

"Huh." Daiki reached for Sebastian's hand, pressing the Frozen Tear he found into the boy's palm. "Maybe."


	4. 4 - Under Water Adventure

**Challenge 4: Under Water Adventure**

"I'll send you a video when I'm done surfing." Daiki watched one of Sebastian's eyebrow's rise, his son's mouth twisting into a frown.

His son glanced away, frowning as he did so. "_How are you going to do that? Get a video of you taking on the surf? Also, you do know mom will be pissed that you're doing that._"

Daiki took a deep breath. "Sebastian, look. Robin and I aren't married anymore, so she doesn't get a say in regards to this kind of thing."

"_She thinks your adventuring has a bad influence on me._"

"Anyways, I have a waterproof camera, so I'll be able to show you once I'm done."

"_Okay_."

Daiki took a deep breath, signing off the video messaging program before closing down his computer. He grabbed his surfboard and headed out, hoping today the waves would be just right for the ride of his life. The salty water soaked into his water suit, and he waited patiently for the wave to come in towards him. For a few brief moments, his mind drifted as he adjusted the camera around his ear.

A rumbling sound roared in his ears, and he looked up, just as wave far larger than he'd ever seen or expected rose its ugly head far above him. His hands gripped the board tightly, yet to no avail as he found himself pulled beneath the surface. He held his breath, looking around for anything only to find the water spinning around him as he found himself sucked towards a dark void.

In the back of his mind, he thought he was going to die.

And then, he found himself able to breathe again, choking out the salty water while his eyes looked around in confusion. Daiki's eyes pushed together, before standing up. A metal sound rang in his ears, his body teetering precariously. The pinging sound of water droplets hitting metal pipes made his head hurt.

"I'm in a damn submarine."

Lifting up his arm, Daiki noticed the rope which attached him to his board was snapped. Mentally, he cursed his luck, yet found himself reaching for the edge as another wave of water rushed in. His fingers couldn't grip anything, and as such he found himself smashed into the wall, and then the metal floor again. Coughing, he glanced around and saw the door.

Quickly, he headed over, just as a red light went off. The alarm went off as he looked up and down the hall before heading in one direction. Somehow, he managed to arrive at what appeared to be the command deck. An alien-like creature stood having a video conference with another. The alarms continued blaring off, so it should have come with no surprise when he felt something smash the back of his head.

When his eyes opened again, he saw a bright light above himself, yet felt cold, naked except for a collar. An alien face looked down on him. "Human?"

Daiki's eyes opened and closed, frustrated as his body stiffened up. He didn't respond, not wanting to give the alien anything which might be used against him.

"Human." The repetition of what they called themselves made Daiki close his eyes. "My people, your planet."

"And?"

"We take over."

Daiki frowned, keeping his eyes closed. He felt quite a bit of pain coursing through the body. He flinched against the restraints, wondering if there were any manner in which to escape.

"Human. Pet."

"Why?"

"Human not intelligent."

The restraints were released, and he watched the alien saunter off – or more of slither off. A shudder ran down his spine. He carefully lifted himself up, before attempting to find his clothes. They weren't far, tossed aside as if they'd simply removed some kind of skin. Thankfully, despite some damage he found himself still able to wear the wetsuit. He wasn't so sure of the camera.

He stepped out of the room, finding himself able to freely roam the ship while the aliens ignored him, though for some reason he understood their language easily enough. His hands reached up, touching the collar, wondering if this made it so that he – the captain's new pet as they called him – might understand what they said.

They were indeed planning on taking over the world. More specifically, they were unintelligent scavengers who took over technology of other races. They were the only force attempting to take over the primitive earth, and yet it didn't take long for him to figure out how the ship function, where the escape pods were located, as well as the fact they didn't know what they were doing.

Thus, he found himself heading into the engine, setting it to explode. He thought his timing was right yet found himself thrown into the wall. Through the cracked window he saw the ship sinking, and water starting to leak in. Taking a deep breath and letting it out despite the pain, he headed to one of the escape pods, only to find the alien creatures already trying to escape. A swift kick to the one attempting to enter the one escape pod he'd not sabotaged, and he found himself heading in and pushing the button.

Yet, the escape pod spun out of control, and yet again he felt darkness until something shook his shoulder.

"Dad?"

Daiki's eyes flickered open. "Hi What happened to the aliens?"

Sebastian stared at him, almost as if he lost his mind. His son's hands clenched his pant legs, the frustration quite evident. "You hit your head pretty hard."

"The video."

"Shows you getting taken out by the wave and then washing up on shore. You're lucky to be alive."

"So?"

"I could have lost you!"

"Sebastian, you've got your step-father."

He watched Sebastian look away. "Demetrius and I don't get along. Mom's right though. You're an adult."

"So are you going to tell me to stop as well Sebastian?" Daiki placed a hand on his throbbing head.

"No. Just don't die on me."


	5. 5 - Wings of Safety

He came for an exhilarating day of healing.

In the back of his mind Daiki thought about his divorce despite years having passed. He and Robin no longer spoke, yet they still had something in common – their son Sebastian. Things were going well between him and their son, yet the young man suddenly hit his rebellious years a bit later than other youth.

Specifically, Daiki planned on bringing Sebastian into the family business, yet Sebastian told him he would not do anything of the sort. The words coming from Sebastian's mouth were bitter, filled from anger stemming from the lack of interaction between the two except for a trip or two every year. Daiki thought they bonded over their adventures, yet had something in common.

"_I'm not going to college, so no, I'm not going to become a part of the Shimizu family business, nor can you make me.._"

"_If money's an issue Sebastian, you know..._"

"_I don't want your money! I'm not going to depend on you, mom, anybody. Actually, I'm sick of people trying to decide what I do in my life._"

The pictures of the Churfirsten mountain range were beautiful, if not tranquil, thus allowing Daiki to make up his mind regarding where he would go and spend his vacation time. He needed to refocus, particularly when things in the Shimizu family were less than ideal and the elders needed time to think about the future plans for the family, and the family businesses. He wondered, due to a few words from some of the elders, whether one of the other family members approached Sebastian making him feel unwelcome, as per typical tactics.

Arriving at the Zurich airport, Daiki brushed this thought aside and instead started gathering his equipment he would need to fly over the mountain range using his wingsuit. A quick check of his PDA revealed weather in the mountain range would be ideal for flying, yet he'd also received a message from his local guide that the trip up into the mountains was still on. Stepping out of the airport with his bags, he saw said guide waiting for him with a sign.

"Are you looking forward to seeing the mountains Mr. Shimizu?"

"Yes, I actually am."

"This is your entire group."

"Yes." Daiki turned his head towards his fellow adventurers, feeling the main in on each of their skills. They headed towards the mountain range in the car, before setting up camp. Nothing seemed amiss that night, and he woke up early in the morning expecting a normal day. As such, he got his wingsuit ready and waited for his guide. Another member of the group got up and started breakfast.

"I forgot to ask, wasn't Sebastian supposed to come on this trip?"

"Before I decided to come here? Yes. He's not exactly talking to me."

"Bright kid. Has he told you what college he's going to?"

"No." Daiki held out his plate for food. He didn't want to mention Sebastian's lack of plans regarding college which he found disappointing.

A spoon of oatmeal landed on his plate, and he lifted his spoon to eat the oatmeal. Something red dripped down onto the plate, splattering everywhere. Daiki looked up at his friend and saw them falling away, hitting the ground. In their forehead was a bullet hole.

A scream came from another one of his companions arousing the others. "What's going on?"

Daiki let his plate drop. "Run."

The entire party scattered in various directions. He didn't know if he were heading in the right direction yet forced himself to continue. He found himself heading up to a cliff. In the back of his mind he knew. Whispers of a hostile takeover by one of the branch families were making their rounds, yet he'd thought nothing of it. After all, none of the elders would go against the family head.

He glanced back right and saw another companion go down. Narrowing his eyes, he recognized the underling of one of the branch families and took in their cold glare. He continued hurrying, hoping the others had managed to find their own path to safety, yet he didn't hold out hope as a bullet pierced his shoulder. He felt for a few minutes as if time slowed, the blood splattering everywhere.

Daiki found himself rushing into the tree line for cover, and kept running as the blood seeped from his shoulder. He duck and wove in between the trees. He finally ducked behind one, hoping to look back and see that nobody was following him. Sweat covered his body and his breaths came in pants.

Everything around him spun, but everything was also green. Closing his eyes, he again attempted catching his breath. "Maybe it's a good thing I didn't bring Sebastian on this trip, let alone introduce him to the rest of the family."

He closed his eyes, the sigh of relief calming him, and he took the time to look back. The sound of wood splintering told him he was still being pursued, and he dashed forward placing a hand on his shoulder, ducking and weaving through the trees again. He glanced back, wondering if the person in question was still pursuing him, and yet he knew they were. Sebastian not being there was only a small condolence, as in the back of his mind he wondered if he would ever see his son again.

He wanted to have Sebastian in his life more, yet Robin got custody. Family politics played a role, as they didn't want the marriage between him and Robin in the first place. He may have even brought all of this on by deciding to bring Sebastian into the family in a manner which would make him noticeable to the public eye. Taking a deep breath as he continued to run, twisting in and out of the trees still, Daiki simply hoped nobody would go after Sebastian.

If he died here, he hoped Sebastian would be left alone and forgotten, and yet he didn't want to forget his son.

Suddenly, he saw nothing ahead of him. He saw the sky between the trees grow, and an edge to the ground grow closer. He found himself stopping, glancing back in hopes that he was no longer being pursued. It honestly felt like quite a bit of time.

At first, he saw nothing, and yet in the distance he saw a shadow move. Daiki moved closer to the edge, his feet scraping rocks so they scattered down the steep rocky side of the Churfirsten mountain range. The man started coming closer, a smirk on their face.

"This is what I think it is, isn't it?"

The man wasn't close enough for Daiki's words to be heard, and yet he knew the answer was definitely a hostile takeover. He glanced over his shoulder at the mountains below before glancing at the gunman who slowly approached. It was almost as if the man chasing him thought he had nowhere to go, and yet Daiki in fact had somewhere he could go.

Taking a deep breath he walked forward, before turning and making a running jump over the edge hoping to survive.


	6. 6 - Icy Thoughts

**Ordeal  
****_6\. Icy Thoughts_**

"When are you coming home?"

Sebastian stared at the video feed in front of him. His fingers tugged at his winter gear while he mentally contemplated why his sister wanted to know when he'd be coming home. She hated him, yet they only had their mother Robin in common. A person with blond hair peeked around the computer. "Yeah, when are you coming home Seb? It's not like you to leave your room for any period of time, yet there you are taking a vacation."

"Hello Sam." Mentally Sebastian told himself the only reason Maru was asking had to do with his best friend wondering when he'd return to the valley. He wasn't sure his father's advanced tech was a good thing or not as the interruptions from home felt unwanted. "I'm stuck visiting my father."

"That sounds like that's a bad thing." Sebastian's eyes drifted up towards Daiki Shimizu. The man's smile made him cringe. "Or are you still going through that stubborn teenager phase of yours."

Maru's eyes widened. "Is that your dad Sebastian? I've never met him."

"You aren't going to."

"Well, Abigail is also wondering..."

"I've got to go."

"Wait..."

"That wasn't very nice Sebastian."

"Do you mean the fact I said I'm stuck visiting you? I've not seen you in forever and suddenly you ask me to come on a trip with you to discuss my position within the Shimizu family because I've turned twenty. What's with that?"

"How about we enjoy the day?"

Sebastian glanced at the men who were business partners with his father. Something about the way they looked at him made him not want to trust the men, and yet he brushed aside these thoughts as his typical social anxiety.

Stepping into the outdoors, Sebastian found the white snow glistening in an inviting manner.

Daiki's hand clapped down onto Sebastian's shoulder. "So, are you looking forward to sking today?"

"Not especially?"

A frown crossed Daiki's face. "You used to like the snow, but any activities involving the snow."

"It's bright out today. Tomorrow is supposed to be overcast, not today."

"Well, today is about having fun while tomorrow is about discussing business."

Sebastian didn't respond, and instead carried the board over to the lift. There weren't any places where he lived where he could hit the slopes, yet he'd prefer remaining inside working on his computers doing his form of business. However, his father didn't know about him getting into computer programming for a living.

Daiki shoved something towards him, and Sebastian realized it was a pair of goggles. "Come on. Give me a smile."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Fine. I expect a smile from you by the end of the day and for you to be back to your usual cheery self."

"Cheery isn't exactly the work people use to describe me." Taking a deep breath, he started hiking up towards the high peak near them.

"Aren't you going to wait for me?"

"I can do this on my own." Sebastian continued up the mountain slope hoping his father wouldn't follow, yet the man in fact did. This left some of the business partners to pack up camp, yet realization hit Sebastian he didn't really know any of the men who came with his father. He hadn't even asked if Daiki trusted them. The jaunt up was in silence, yet Sebastian found himself taking in the entire mountain range. Mentally, he noted the best route back down

Upon arriving at the top, Sebastian's father pulled down his goggles. "Follow behind me, alright." Sebastian found himself glaring at his old man. Daiki started down the slope, but not before saying, "Remember, don't tell Robin I'm letting you do this."

"Yeah. If you think this is a good way to buy me, it's not anymore. Particularly when mom gets ticked off like she does." Daiki of course didn't hear what Sebastian said, as the man had already started down the mountain. Taking a deep breath, Sebastian started down, purposefully choosing a different path rather than following in the wake his father left. As such, he found himself drifting towards the west of his father's direction yet continued on his way down.

His warm clothes prevented most of the snow from getting in, yet some still managed to find there way in. The snow also sprayed up, creating a light, yet cool mist that Sebastian took in. He'd always liked the snow; the icy caverns in the caves near his home were his favorite place to adventure.

He'd never found someone back home interested in adventuring. Sam preferred talking about girls and Maru only went in for precious minerals she needed for her experiments. Abigail on the other hand said she wanted to adventure yet ran in the other direction if a bat flew in her face. She didn't seem to understand the adrenaline rush which came from such things, yet as he continued down the slope he found himself diving into the exhilaration.

The site of another person made him slow down. The terrain became slightly rougher, yet he wondered why the person was up there without any skies. The did, however, haul a rather large backpack with them. The person looked up, and he recognized the person as one of his father's party. He wondered what one of his father's business partners were doing up here.

He didn't say anything; greeting people wasn't really his thing. Instead, he stared at the person wondering what they were up to.

"Young master."

"What did you call me?"

"He suspected you wouldn't take the route the family head planned out."

"I don't understand anything you're saying."

"Certain people in the family don't want you as the head's heir."

Sebastian felt a chill running through his body. "What do you mean?"

"If you were to take a different route, I was to make sure you weren't able to find your way down."

Having his suspicions confirmed, Sebastian swallowed. He watched the man bring out a switch, and he knew what would happen. "Shit."

An explosion roared from either side, yet the mountain above shook from the sudden explosion. Sebastian's eyes took in the snow as it exploded out, and the ground mingled with the debris. He found himself pushing himself forward at this point, knowing full well he needed to get away; any loud noise would create an avalanche which would cascade down on him. However, the man near him had other ideas, reaching out to grab the sleeve of his winter clothing.

Sebastian yanked, but not before he found himself falling backward and tumbling down the hill. His eyes closed briefly upon hearing the roar of the avalanche, and he attempted standing up so he could hopefully ski out of the oncoming avalanche. In the back of his mind he hoped his father would be okay and that he wasn't caught up in this as well, yet at that point his life flashed in front of him.

He wondered what Sam would think about him not returning as well as Abigail. As for Maru and her father Demetrius, Sebastian figured neither would care. It always bothered him Maru wanted nothing to do with him, and yet in the back of his mind he wondered if he hadn't even briefly acted in a manner which made her think he didn't want anything to do with him.

The blue sky felt like something he could leap out towards, almost as if the blue sky were a safety net he could fall back on, and yet the sky wasn't a place he could easily escape. Instead, as he skied further down the slope he started seeing cascading waves of snow following him. The loose snow started getting under his skies, causing him to stumble as he attempted escaping from the ensuing avalanche.

He found himself flipped over backward and mentally cursed the fact his father convinced Robin that visiting him to work out some family business matters was actually a good idea, yet his mother's fears that Sebastian's father might put him in a situation he'd not find a way out of plagued the back of his mind. Sebastian also wished he was safe inside of his room.

The snow cascaded around him and started slowly cutting off the blue sky above. He found himself hunkering down as the snow pressed in around him. Soon, darkness surrounded him, yet not a darkness like his room back home. In the fog of his mind he wondered if he'd ever see his room again, or if his fingers would touch the keys of his keyboard briskly pounding in coding. Closing his eyes, he wondered what family business was so important he'd end up here.

The person said something about being the family heir. As such, Sebastian knew full well why they wanted to take him out, and yet he didn't want anything to do with the family or the family businesses. He simply hoped someone would timely find him.


	7. 7 - Life

"When are you finally going to ask Abigail out?"

Sebastian glanced up from his computer screen at Mary. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, 'what do I mean'?" Maru folded her arms across her chest. "Come on. It's obvious to everyone you like her."

"Apparently it is obvious to everyone except me."

Maru's mouth twisted slightly. "Alright. Let me put this another way. How long are you going to remain aloof about the fact you two are perfect for each other. I mean, both of you like gaming and adventuring."

"Yet I also don't enjoy gaming and adventuring with her."

"That's mean Sebastian."

"And you know I don't like people in my room, so why are you down here?" He watched Maru's face twist in frustration.

"Your dad is here. He's here about some girl named Yuki."

The frown upon Sebastian's face deepened. He stood up and headed towards the stairs. From upstairs he heard his mother's raised voice which made his eyes dart towards the ground. Taking a deep breath, he started up the stairs and arrived upstairs. He saw his father in the front area and watched the man look up at him. His biological father never stepped into Robin's home since the divorce, so him showing up bothered Sebastian.

"What's going on?"

"What's going on? Yuki disappeared."

Sebastian glanced at the ground. "I don't know how I can help. I've not seen Yuki since I stopped visiting you."

"But you have kept in touch with her?"

The young man found himself looking towards the ground. The last few days he'd worked on a programming project and not communicated with him. "I could check to see if she sent me an e-mail the last few days, if that would help her parents out."

He heard his father take a deep breath. "Sebastian..."

"You don't have to check your e-mails Sebastian." Robin's voice made Sebastian look up. The irritation on her face said something managed to miff his mother off. "They already know in a letter she left that she's traveling to Angel Falls."

"I don't understand. Yuki's even more experienced at adventuring than I am, so why is everyone worried? Why's he worried?" Sebastian pointed at his father with his thumb, knowing full well his father should know the same as he.

"Because she said something in the letter she left about not living without you so she's going to the top of Angel Falls and deciding whether to move on or not." Robin glared at the wall.

"That's not..."

Sebastian didn't let his father finish. "I'll go pack my bags."

"Sebastian! You know what I think of this extreme adventuring."

"It's my choice."

His father stood beside him as Sebastian looked up at the falls. "You know, maybe it's not what you think."

"You're not even sure of the exact wording." Sebastian double checked his gear, his eyes fixated at the cliffside. He remembered his father's advice regarding the rockface near the waterfall. The closer the rocks were to the waterfall, the softer the rocks were. He found himself taking a deep breath. "I'd rather not risk it."

One hand wiped across his forehead, yet Sebastian could also feel his pale cheeks starting to burn. His eyes squinted as the water from the waterfall sprayed up into his face. He soon found himself climbing up the face of the falls while protections were placed where they were need to be placed.

Sweat poured down his body reminding Sebastian he preferred the winter months over the hot weather of where they were located. What he wanted to say to Yuki ran through his mind, yet also possibly distracted him from climbing up the mountain. His fingers reached for some of the softer rocks and he heard his father's voice call out reminding him the rocks were soft in that area.

Sebastian paused, his eyes blinking, before continuing up. The rock face was gritty at touch, yet the mist from the waterfall flew into his face. His sunburned cheeks cooled slightly from this but stung slight as well. His muscles ached as he continued climbing and in the back of his mind he wondered if his skills weren't a bit rusty for climbing up the face of the falls.

He shifted from the softer side to the harder slide with a swift movement only for his fingers to not grip the rockface in the manner expected. Sebastian found himself falling and heard his father yelling yet he found himself struggling to hear his father over the sound of the roaring falls. He felt the ropes pull tightly as his body hit the cliffside. A deep breath escaped his mouth as pain ratcheted through his body. Taking another deep breath, he turned back around so he could continue climbing.

His father spoke loudly, yet Sebastian found himself guessing what the man asked. "Are you alright?"

"A little sore and a few scrapes." They continued up the cliffside despite the fact Sebastian wasn't sure if his father heard him. The sweat continued gathering on his body, and yet he kept looking up and seeing the progress they were making. He finally found himself only around ten feet away. His father who was farther ahead arrived at the cliff top before him and climbed over.

His muscles ached, yet he continued climbing up towards the clifftop. When he arrived, he found himself collapsing onto the cliffside and found himself looking up to the sky. His father bent over. His father spoke in a rather loud manner so he could be heard. Eventually he stood up and started walking with his father away from the roar of the falls.

Glancing around, he found himself looking for Yuki. Eventually the caught sight of a tent. Sebastian took a deep breath as Yuki stepped out. Her eye blinked a couple of times upon seeing him. "Sebastian? Why are you here?"

"Why am I here?" Sebastian took a deep breath. "You left a letter, so I came hoping from stopping you from doing something stupid."

"Something stupid?" Yuki folded her arms across her chest as her climbing partner came out of the tent. "How is moving on stupid?"

"Because ending your life is stupid."

Yuki stood there staring at him, then looked away. "How could you mistake me wanting to move on with my life with me wanting to end my life?"

Sebastian felt his throat tighten, before finding himself looking towards his feet. His hands were covered with the sandy substance which rubbed off the rocks near the waterfall as he climbed, but one hand reached up and tightened around his clothes. "I don't understand."

"You read my letter, didn't you?"

"I..." Sebastian swallowed, his eyes darting to the ground.

"You've moved on with your life Sebastian, then why can't I?"

"What do you mean? I've not moved on with my life at all. Have I ever written anything in our e-mails which said as such?"

"It's not about what was in the e-mails, but what wasn't. I'm your childhood friend, yet you never told me you're seriously dating someone, or does the fact I'm part of your childhood moments which involved your life outside of the life you're now living mean I'm not a childhood friend."

Sebastian's eyes blinked. "What do you mean by me dating someone?"

"What do I mean? Your sister Maru told your other siblings that you were."

His eyes blinked. "Wait. Maru is in contact with my dad's other kids, but told them I'm dating someone?"

"You don't exactly communicate with them Sebastian," his father said removing his climbing helmet before sitting down on the rock face.

"Look. I'm not upset with you not telling me. It's not right of me though to continue waiting but interfere with your relationship with another person simply because..." Yuki glanced away. "Look, I am sorry I made you worry like you did, but I simply came here to make a decision. I had three choices to make, one of them being to move on and another was to not decide anything just yet."

Sebastian's eyes closed. "I'm confused." He could feel the sun starting to set over the horizon. "What does this have to do with my dating someone, or why you left the letter you did. That was unfair of you, and I didn't even get the letter. Someone else told me what was in the letter."

"Wait. You mean the reason you came didn't have to do with the fact I was asking you to make a decision, but because you thought I was going to kill myself?"

"What else was I supposed to think?" Sebastian took a deep breath. "What am I supposed to think? I'm not even dating someone despite the fact Maru honestly thinks I should, yet I honestly thought I was going to lose the one person in my entire life I have never felt anxious around. That wasn't funny at all. So, what were you thinking?"

Yuki took a deep breath, yet eyes glancing at the sun which continuing to set. "What was I thinking? I was thinking I'd stay up here with enough supplies for a couple of weeks before going home allowing you to make a choice. The choice you made would formulate my decision."

"I'm still not following. I just know I don't smile often, but if something happened to you I wouldn't at all."

"I thought you were dating someone Sebastian."

"I'm not. I've not found someone else I don't feel anxious around."

A smile spread across Yuki's face. "I'm sorry you didn't get my letter and thought I was going to tell you. I didn't tell you my third option."

"And what would that be?"

"Will you marry me?"

"What?"

"You heard me Sebastian."

"Why me?"

"Because I'm tired of not living without you. I want to be with you the rest of my life. Don't you feel the same way?"

"Yes, but..."

"You really should learn not to be too hard on yourself Sebastian. It's like my question and is either a yes, no or even a maybe."

Sebastian's eyes blinked as the sunset. "Maybe. Maybe yes."


	8. 8 - Twisted

**8 - Twisted**

Sebastian was already not looking forward to the trip with the knowledge of Venezuela's hot weather plaguing his mind.

However, Maru's insistence of tagging along plagued his mind as well due to the fact his half-sister wanting to butt into his personal life. With her came Abigail despite the fact Abigail's adventuring experience was limited meaning yet again he'd find himself babysitting her. Of course, Sam decided to tag along and his experience with such things was even more limited.

Of course, none of his three companions could even possibly imagine what he was doing. He wore headphones and listened to music on the plane flight, so he couldn't hear any of their annoying questions. Upon arrival though Sebastian knew he couldn't avoid any of the questions. His father stood waiting for them with a smile on his face.

His sister's eyes widened upon seeing the man. "You're Sebastian's dad?"

The man reached out to shake her hand. "You've grown quite a lot since I last saw you Maru. Why don't we head out to the jeep waiting for us?"

Sebastian found himself glancing away as his arms folded across his chest. Out of the corner of his eye he watched both Maru and Abigail become infatuated with his father as they climbed into the back most seat with Sam. His father paused. "Are you excited to see Yuki?"

"Why would I be?" Sebastian continued looking away. "_Isn't Ichiro announcing his engagement to her? Who else could be this fiancé he's introducing to everyone?_"

"I see."

Sebastian climbed into the jeep and buckled in. Sam leaned over. "Say, who's this Yuki."

"Nobody."

"I see."

His father climbed into the front seat ad the man took off. The Venezuelan jungle soon shot by them and Sebastian started feeling the hot heat burning his cheeks. In the back of his mind he wondered if Ichiro picked this place because he knew he wouldn't enjoy the heat, yet in truth Sebastian hated the annual trips simply for the socialization alone.

"_Why come when you know the one person you don't feel anxious around is marrying your younger brother? You swore you'd never interfere with their relationship._"

The continued into the jungle and arrived at the camp. Abigail got out and looked around. "What is this? We're staying out in the jungle?"

Sebastian glanced away. "I told you guys not to come."

Sam headed over to the main tent right behind him. "Yeah, but you of all people actually adventuring out in a place this hot when you prefer the cold darkness of your room? This isn't quite expected."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure Ichiro picked this location to announce his fiancé just to annoy me."

"Who?" Maru's head tilted.

He'd never told his younger sister that he had other siblings. Before he could say anything, the radio crackled on the table set up and Sebastian watched his father step over. "This is Daiki. We just got back."

"Shimizu sir. We arrived at the falls to meet up with Ichiro's group. Instead of finding them, we found a body. We think they jumped from the top of the falls."

Sebastian felt his eyes widen and heard his father let out a curse. Instinctively he headed over to the gear and started putting it on. Sam took a deep breath. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. You guys should stay here. Dad and I have to move fast." Sebastian felt a thing of water shoved into the side of his face.

"Only as long as you drink plenty of fluids as we go Sebastian. I know how easily you get heat sick."

Abigail took a deep breath. "I'm going as well."

Sebastian's head darted up. "Hell no."

"Abigail goes exploring as well."

"Abigail lacks the proper experience." Sebastian retorted.

"Yeah, well I'm coming with." Sam piped up.

Sebastian found himself glaring at his sister and two friends. His father however clapped a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine."

"_It's probably not._"

The small party headed out, and he found himself walking at a brisk pace through the jungle as the trees twisted and turned. He heard Abigail start complaining and one of the team said they'd stay behind to help the less experienced in the group catch up leaving Sebastian with his father and one other.

They arrived at the falls and saw the small group looking at the body. Sebastian found himself gagging as he walked over, noting the fact the body was already starting to decay. Despite the decay he saw as he got closer the bruising around the neck and the nails with blood underneath. He lifted a sleeve to his face before glancing up.

The person was female, yet rather unidentifiable with the damage caused. His father spoke. "Where's Ichiro's group."

"Already at the top. Well, they're descending. Apparently, they were looking for the girl this morning, yet she'd disappeared. Sebastian found himself pacing only for his father to remind him to drink something. About half an hour later he saw the rest of their group coming out of the forest just as the group up above descended from above.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw Yuki appear along with Ichiro, meaning she wasn't the victim. He watched one of Ichiro's group approach one of the members of the second group and whisper something to the person. Their voices began to rise. His father noticed. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

Sebastian watched Ichiro carefully and watched his younger brother look towards the body. His facial features were pale. Yuki placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and he found himself glancing at the ground. Taking a deep breath, he decided to head towards the edge feeling a bit uncomfortable.

From behind, he heard a gun click before feeling it pressed against the back of his head. Whoever was behind him grabbed him from behind placing their arm around his neck. He saw his father glance up, yet no longer saw Ichiro in sight. He saw the looks of horror on Sam, Abigail and Maru's faces as the sweat dripped down their faces. He knew he'd receive no help from them, as their travels to this spot likely left them exhausted.

The look of horror on his father's face wasn't something he'd expected as Sebastian always expected the man to act in a calm manner. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think we're doing?" Out of the corner of his eye, Sebastian saw the man from the first group he'd seen arguing with the man from the second group. The man glared at his father while pointing his gun at everyone else. "Nobody else outside of our intended target needs to die."

Sebastian's eyes closed wondering if Ichiro hated him this much, yet the looks of horror on his friends and sister's faces increased. Despite the fact he thought Maru hated him, he was sure he saw her crying. The man holding the gun to the back of his head tugged him back into the jungle. Sebastian dropped his container of water as he stumbled due to being forced to walk backward.

Soon, they were in the thick of things and he was being forced to walk forward. He found himself unable to look backward, yet he suspected he knew who the person was. The person he suspected of conniving with them walked forward yet glanced backward. "Are we getting far enough away?"

The other person didn't speak.

Sebastian took a deep breath. "Look. If you do this Yuki will never forgive you."

The person he could see raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that? He has no connections to her or her family."

Sebastian stopped short as confusion wracked his mind. He felt the gun shoved at his head indicating he should keep walking. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a quick flash as something flew at the other person's face. He watched as the person carrying the other gun fell backward and the gun was knocked from his hands.

The person who came flying out of the jungle picked up the gun and pointed it at the other person. Sebastian's eyes blinked. "Ichiro?"

The other person didn't attempt getting up, yet a groan indicating how hard Sebastian's younger brother hit him came out of his mouth. Ichiro turned the gun on the second person. "Why? Why did you two kill my fiancé?"

"Your fiancé wasn't meant to be killed Ichiro, but that moron thought when I told him that I wanted him to kill the first born child that I wanted him to kill you and your fiancé happened upon him while he was starting to sabotage your gear. He strangled her, but in the process got scratched by her."

"Wait." Sebastian found himself wrapping his mind around everything. "_Yuki isn't Ichiro's fiancé. His actual fiancé is..._"

"But now you intend to kill my older brother? Why?"

"So you can inherit rather than this bastard child."

"Yeah. Ichiro can have everything."

"That's not how this works. The marriage between that whore and our family head was a legal marriage, meaning you are his legal heir."

"Let my brother go."

"What are you going to do Ichiro?"

"I can testify and get you a lighter sentence."

"Ichiro, I came into this jungle with Sebastian knowing full well the three of us wouldn't be leaving alive, or at least I wouldn't be returning to society at the same person. You really think someone as politically attached as your father is would simply let me walk away from this."

Sebastian's eyes drifted to the ground. He saw the person Ichiro knock out start to come around.

"Then I'll refuse."

"Oh, but you can't refuse the position of head once your father passes on."

The second person started moving towards Ichiro. Sebastian took a deep breath and grabbed hold of his captor's arm before falling forward. His head spun slightly indicating the heat was starting to get to him, yet he found himself tripping the man and his gun falling. His hand reached for the gun and he brought it up.

The gunshot rang through the forest as the shot pierced the shoulder of the man who was working on knocking his younger brother out. Both men screamed, yet another gunshot went off and Sebastian felt a bullet pierce his shoulder while Ichiro looked on making it obvious he'd not intended on shooting him.

He felt the man looming over him when another figure hurtled through the jungle. Sebastian watched the man collapse yet heard Maru cry out. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his father towering over him cracking his knuckles while Maru wrapped her arms around him.

Ichiro pointed towards Maru. "Sebastian, is she your girlfriend."

Sebastian watched Ichiro look down at his gun before dropping it. The other man started running into the jungle. Maru stood up and walked over to Ichiro as she slapped him in the face. "First off, he's not my boyfriend! Second, how dare you shoot my older brother like that."

"Wait. What..."

Sebastian didn't think anything could ever make him laugh yet a laugh sprang from his mouth as Maru poked Ichiro in the chest. He laughed despite the pain coursing through his shoulder. Ichiro pointed at Maru, yet no other words came out of his mouth. Maru turned towards Sebastian. "This isn't funny Sebby!"

"Seb... Sebby?" Ichiro stammered.

"Hey! Only mom gets to call me that Maru! How many times do I have to tell you that?" A groan escaped his lips as he stood. He felt his father's hands press into his back. He glanced at the ground.

Ichiro pointed at Maru. "What does she mean by she's your sister? I'm your sibling, not her."

Maru pointed her finger at him. "How? You shot him!"

"Trying to shoot the other guy!"

Sebastian sighed. This wasn't how he wanted the two to meet.


	9. 9 - Rules

"_Rules are there for a reason._"

During his childhood Daiki never found himself questioning the rules of the Shimuzu clan. The power the elders wielded was never challenged which he in turn took as a fact of life, yet the Shimuzu heir thought of his future asset in stone. Nothing changed regarding his relationships within the vast kinship network stemming from years of linages, but no inkling made him think there was something else outside of what the elders planned for him.

The turning point was when he went away for college. Daiki found himself tasting freedom like he never had. At first, he kept the strict routine expected of him, but then met a scarlet-haired female with a fiery spirit he found himself falling in love with. Where once the idea of eloping seemed like an act of childish rebellion he found marrying Robin an act testifying to his love for her. He felt as if they could make a life away from the clan.

Yet, his actions didn't go unnoticed and somehow the elders found out. The fact he cut ties with the clan and tried making his own way proved problematic due to one of the clan rules being one didn't ever cut ties, but as the heir to the headship he was expected even more to follow the rules. Also, against the rules was marrying for love which meant his actions were majorly taboo. The elders never put up with any taboo.

The marriage bliss shattered into a thousand pieces when his uncle showed up. His father's brother held quite a bit of sway over the other elders in the clan, yet somehow managed to place pressure on Daiki and Robin until he got what he wanted. As such the couple divorced soon after their son Sebastian was born leaving her to raise the boy on their own; his uncle made it quite clear the clan wanted nothing to do with a misbegotten child on Daiki's part.

While Sebastian didn't exist in the eyes of the clan, he did exist in the eyes of Daiki.

Sebastian was his son, and his son was important. As such Daiki sought to spend time with the child outside of the purview of the clan. He found Sebastian enjoyed exploring and adventuring as much as Daiki did, yet he never found himself able to introduce his first born to any of the places he frequented as a child. Instead, he found himself taking Sebastian to places such as Aosta Valley. Sebastian liked the cold weather activities far more than the non-cold weather activities.

Yet, somehow, he still grew apart from the boy. When Sebastian became old enough to decide whether he wanted to visit his father the answer became a resounding no. His son never gave any reason why, nor did Daiki push for an answer. He believed though that Sebastian should have the freedom he never got, and thus Daiki went quite a few years without seeing Sebastian let alone hearing how his firstborn was doing.

In fact, he wasn't expecting to see Sebastian again, yet found himself sitting in a ski lodge with his oldest child from his second marriage staring up at the rather shocked look on Sebastian's face.

"What..."

"Sebastian, what are you doing here?" Daiki watched Sebastian's eyes drift over towards Ichiro.

"I... is this some kind of sick joke?" The way Sebastian's face twisted up reminded Daiki of how Robin became angry.

"I'm sorry I got you to come out here on false premises, but how else I'd get the chance to meet you."

"I don't see why." Sebastian looked away at that point.

"I am not understanding what is going on here."

"He told me you were dead and that he was going to spread your ashes whether I came or not." Sebastian took a deep breath. "I told him I didn't give a crap."

Daiki frowned. "Then why are you here?"

"None of your business. None of either of your business."

Daiki watched Sebastian turn indicating he obviously wanted nothing to do with his father or his half-brother. A young female with dark skin and black hair with a red undertone stepped over. "Sebastian, where are you going."

"We're leaving Maru."

"Sebastian..." The girl grabbed Sebastian's arm. "I told you this is a social custom, but that I wasn't letting you get out of it. I know you don't like me, but he's your father so..."

Sebastian turned and pointed at Daiki. "That's my father Maru. As you can see, he is very much alive."

The young female stared making Daiki speak up. "I honestly had no idea Ichiro told Sebastian that."

Maru tugged at Sebastian's ear pulling him down slightly, so he was now closer to her in height. "Are you telling me someone had to lie to you just so that you would go and see your own father? You're horrible Sebastian!"

"I..." His oldest son looked towards the ground rather sheepishly. "You don't know me Maru."

"That's because you don't give anybody have the chance to know you."

Daiki glanced over at his second oldest knowing full well he instigated the whole thing. Any plans of chiding the young man flew out the window when he saw the look of disappointment on Ichiro's face. He turned back towards Sebastian and Maru. "Look, Sebastian. You obviously took the time out of your busy schedule to be here, so why not make the best of it? Hit the sloops and give your head a chance to cool, then you and I can talk."

"About what? There's nothing to talk about."

"Yes, there is."

...

Hitting the slopes probed refreshing. Of course, Maru didn't come with the needed gear, nor did Sebastian. Robin's second child seemed rather surprised at the idea of Sebastian enjoying something like "_hitting the slopes_", yet Sebastian withdrawing from people seemed worse than before. Ichiro found himself unable to say anything, yet the premise under which he'd gotten his father here was to talk truthfully about the existence of Sebastian.

Once they got their gear on, he found himself riding up the slopes with Sebastian. His oldest remained penchant silent, yet Daiki feared as Sebastian looked around that he might simply drop down out of the ski lift. His son finally glanced back towards where Maru and Ichiro sat and Daiki glanced back. The two were chatting amicably. "What are you thinking?"

"That you brought him here to our spot."

Daiki frowned. "Sebastian, he was asking about you and wanted to know more about you. I couldn't do that around the rest of the family."

"That's why I stopped coming you know." Sebastian continued looking back. "What's going on between him and Maru."

"Ichiro. Your younger brother's name is Ichiro."

"Just my luck they're both talking about how much they hate me. Can't blame them."

"What..." Daiki frowned as muddled emotions spread through his head.

"I don't exactly get along with people."

The two finally found themselves arriving at the top and Daiki found himself getting off. He started forward with Sebastian following close behind. "Are you excited about hitting the slopes. I remember you used to like this."

"It may be cold, but it is also too bright." Sebastian continued glancing back at Maru and Ichiru. "Seriously, what is going on between those two."

Daiki glanced back. "Sebastian does Maru know Ichiro is your half-brother?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Well, I haven't told Ichiro that Maru is your half-sister."

"That still doesn't tell me why that matters."

Daiki took a deep breath and pulled his goggles down. "I'll meet you at the bottom. Let's see who can get their first."

"Aren't you too old?" Ichiro commented.

Maru looked at Sebastian in a worried manner. "Sebastian, do you actually know what you're doing?"

"Oh, I'm fine Maru. You should know that I can take care of myself."

"I wouldn't call smoking taking care of yourself."

Daiki glared at his eldest before deciding to take off rather than telling Ichiro off about how he wasn't too old for this kind of thing. He found the wind rushing in his face. The coldness made his nose and cheeks sting, and yet the exhilaration coursed through his body. As he skied down the slope Daiki found himself moving from left to right in a swift and speedy motion. For a moment he found himself forgetting his troubles, but then Sebastian moved past him beating him to the bottom.

The two glanced up waiting for Ichiro and Maru to catch up. He watched Sebastian start to worry as neither saw the two right away, but then the two burst through the forest.

Unfortunately, Maru with her inexperience took a tumble and fell head over heal.s Daiki felt himself flinch when he saw the young woman tumble over herself a couple of times. One of Maru's skis came off and she landed on her side before sliding the rest of the way down. Sebastian's mouth opened as if he wanted to say something only for the young man to find nothing coming out.

Daiki hurried over, or at least as fast as one could move on skis while Ichiro skied over. His second oldest skied in and sprayed up a bit of snow as he came to a stop. "Are you okay?"

Maru's mouth twisted into a deep frown and Daiki found himself flinching upon thinking of the call Robin would make when she found out. "No. I've twisted up my ankle."

"Maru..." Sebastian spoke in a soft manner.

"Don't act like you care now Sebastian!"

"But..."

Daiki watched his second oldest unstrap his boots from the skis. Ichiro held out his hand before gently lifting Maru into his arms. "I'll take Maru back. This way you two can spend some more quality time with each other."

"What? I don't want..."

"Sebastian. We need to carry Maru and Ichiro's skies back."

"Yes, but..."

Ichiro spoke up. "There's a really nice restaurant further down in the valley. You two really should catch up, right?"

"Why is he smiling like an idiot?" Sebastian watched in confusion.

Daiki found himself taking another deep breath yet felt taking Ichiro's advice to catch up with Sebastian while Ichiro wasn't around a good idea, and yet he also found himself wondering what all he'd need to catch Sebastian up on.

...

Of course, Sebastian wasn't thrilled about riding with him in the limo as it headed down into the valley. He watched his oldest son glance out the window. Before leaving Daiki sent a text to Ichiro letting him know Maru was Sebastian's half-sister as he knew full well reception further down sucked. "Are you going to talk to me?"

"What is there to talk about? Mom and I are the embarrassment in your life you don't want to talk about, so how about we just not talk?"

"Sebastian."

"You told me that you had to talk to Ichiro in..."

Something hit the limo from behind making both jar forward. Daiki felt the limo slide slightly on the ice, yet swallowed knowing something was wrong. He watched Sebastian tense up, but both turned their heads upon hearing the sound of another vehicle attempting to knock their vehicle off the road.

The next thing either knew something hit them from the side. They felt their car slide slightly towards the side as the squealing of wheels burned into their ears in a way Daiki felt he would never forget. "Sebastian."

"Wh..."

Another jarring made Daiki reach for his son despite the fact he knew Sebastian was now an adult. He felt Sebastian tense up as Daiki attempted to pull him close. Before Sebastian could resist any more, Daiki felt the limo start tilting over towards one side. He physically braced himself yet out of the corner of his eye he saw Sebastian get as tossed around as he was. The limo tumbled three or four times before coming to a stop as if it hit something solid.

Through the window Daiki saw a tree line meaning they'd hit a tree line. His eyes closed briefly allowing him to hear what went on around him. His whole body throbbed and he felt as if a few ribs were broken. He heard Sebastian breathing and knew from how Sebastian breathed that his son was in some kind of distress. "Sebastian?"

Daiki opened his eyes and scooted over towards the young man who lay limply on the floor of the limo. Shaking Sebastian didn't get the young man to wake up and he found himself taking a deep breath. The man found himself removing his jacket and placing it over Sebastian's shoulders before brushing a stray lock of hair away from the boy's forehead. Sebastian's eyes flickered open and his mouth moved in an attempt to say something, yet nothing came out.

Daiki moved towards the divide between him and the limo driver only for a gunshot to ring out from the drivers area. Daiki's eyes closed again and he found himself taking a deep breath. He wanted to move towards the door on the limo and brace himself. When someone from the outside opened the door he wanted to be there swinging both feet in their chest and thus sending them flying so he could in fact get the gun.

Instead Daiki found himself unable to move due to the injuries sustained when the limo crashed. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes, yet let his eyes snap back open in hopes that he might react in time when the person came through the door. Instead, the man came through the door and quickly punched Daiki in the face.

White lights flashed in front of Daiki's eyes for a few minutes and when he opened them he saw the man moving towards Sebastian. The man grabbed his oldest by Sebastian's dark locks of hair tugging in a manner which caused the injured young man to let out a whimper and close his eyes against the pain felt. Sebastian's jaw dropped slightly as the man jarred him again.

Daiki watched as the man cocked the gun and pointed it right at Sebastian's head.

"Who are you?" Daiki wondered if this were some random mugging, and yet the person's eyes said they were likely of Asian descent.

He couldn't see the man's lips move in a manner he could read their lips, yet he very distinctly heard the man's voice. "Rules are there for a reason."

"What?"

"I'm a spy for your uncle." The man moved the gun from Sebastian's temple to the young man's chin. "Your uncle's message to you is that rules are there for a reason, but that there are consequences Daiki for not following them. It's time this half-breed finally face the consequences of being born."

Daiki found himself taking a deep breath as Sebastian's eyes opened. The eyes of his oldest seemed pained, but not just physically. Sebastian's mouth opened and mouthed the word, "sorry" before his eyes closed again. A surge of adrenaline coursed through his body and Daiki moved forward hoping to move the gun away.

He felt his fingers wrap around the man's arm and start tugging the arm away, yet when the gun went off he didn't know if he actually managed to prevent the man from shooting Sebastian in the head. The smell of gunpowder filled his nose as he continued surging forward knocking the gunman backward. His fist pulled back and then slammed into the man's face. How many times he hit the man he didn't know, yet he did know after he started calming down that he felt warm blood.

Daiki turned his attention back towards Sebastian. He heard the same rough breathing as before and moved over in a graceful manner. However, his hand felt a warm sticky mass pooling near Sebastian. Turning his son slightly from where he lay on the ground, Daiki saw Sebastian's fingers clutching the wound. Taking a deep breath, he said the only thing he knew to say. "It's going to be okay."

The paleness of his son who was already quite pale however said Sebastian wasn't going to be okay unless he got help soon. Daiki kept his own breath even and mentally wondered if he'd be able to stop the bleeding, let alone find help from somewhere nearby. His mental thoughts were brought out of the dark disappear he felt as the blood continued seeping from his son's body.

Another person pulled him aside before taking their own jacket and wrapping it tightly. They pulled on his arm indicating they should move. Daiki found himself moving out of the limo while the man who came to their rescue slowly moved Sebastian out of the limo. He found himself glancing up at the slight slope and saw the two vehicles.

One of the vehicles contained damage indicating this vehicle ran him off the road, but the other was undamaged as if the saw something happened and stopped to help. Everything proved a rush as the person drove him towards what the hoped was a hospital, yet instead they took him and Sebastian to a small building in the middle of nowhere.

Upon arriving, they called out and someone from inside the house hurried out. Daiki closed his eye, remembering the man he punched out still lay unconscious from the beating he'd given him. Whoever found him ushered him inside. He watched them take Sebastian to one room as a woman rushed about heating up water.

The man beckoned him to sit in a chair. Out of the corner of his eye, Daiki saw the sun begin to set and removed his phone only to find he had no cell service. Yet, something told him he should have been thinking of this sooner. For a few brief moments he blacked out as the people chattered. The fact the chair he was in was hard and uncomfortable didn't stop him from falling asleep.

He awoke to a rooster crowing and sat up straight only for someone to say the doctor had said to stay put. He couldn't, however, stay put knowing Sebastian was in trouble. He found himself standing and walking over to the room he remembered them taking Sebastian to. With every step he nearly fell over.

He found Sebastian laying in the bed still pail, but the doctor turned to him. "He'll live, but the sooner we get the two of you the hospital the better. The storm from last night is past, so we should be able to finally do so without trouble."

And yet, he found his entire life a mess simply because of rules which he suddenly felt were only there for the reason that they were a political advantage to someone else in the family rather than for any good reason.


End file.
